During this weekend, 20 hot custom bikes were competing in the “Artistry In Iron” championship during Las Vegas Bikefest.

Yesterday Saturday October 5, 2013, at 6 pm at the Las Vegas Cashman Center, organizer Mindi Cherry announced the 2013 champion, unanimously voted the winner by his peers competing against him. Rick Bray from California based RKB Kustom Speed won the bragging rights and $10,000.

It’s a gorgeous Shovelhead that Rick bought 5 years ago from his brother when he ran out of money to finish it. Rick took all these years to finish it, hand making most of the parts in his garage and trading the others with friends.

He already won many awards in bike shows with this creation and declared that he will probably give it back to his brother…and start a new build. (photos @ Jack Mcintyre for Cyril Huze)

I can remember when custom motorcycles were cool. Riders would chop a rear fender or put a set of ape hangers on their bike. White wall tires, cat’s head taillights, straight pipes, fox tails or whatever was the fad at the time. A lot of the customs originated in garages or under your mother’s back porch using pliers, hacksaws and your dad’s vise grip. In my case I never put anything on my bike that didn’t make it faster,but who cares. Today we have builders with extraordinary talent and deep pockets who build boring bikes that can’t be ridden out of the parking lot. I sincerely appreciate their skills , time and effort, but build something you can ride. ..Z

Rick actually began building the bike to my liking in 2007 when I ran out of money to finish the build. Last year we were looking at the rolling chassis and decided it was time to finish it. I gladly gave him the roller to finish and couldn’t be any happier with the end results.

@ the rest; short of getting your ass burned, it looks like a rider to me. Have you all forgotten what we used to ride when we were R.B.’s age? I have pictures and scars of/from mine so I know it was real not some fantasy…..

– Competitions have universal rules – eg MCMBG sanctioned competitions with classes that serve to same rules of judgement, scrutiny, etc. This way it (instantly) possible to know how (bona fide) good a custom build is (relative to any other judged under the same tules).

– One (non-negotiable) rule must be build quality IN SERVICE – eg no build will be considered if the judges are not convinced that the bike has completed 3000 miles without any build failure. In Europe it is notably simpler as (eg) the TUV requirements takes care of such matters.

– Another matter, perhaps a bit more controversial.., the motorcycle must pass at least some level of road legal scrutiny, or (at least) have a bonus point scoring for builds that are legal (to same arbitrary rules). It is easy to build very cool customs, but build cool customs that are street legal, that will highlight the true innovator/creator and will serve the entire industry well.

There are many more – in short: it is time for customs to become relevant again.

PS: 100% Indian Larry (now Paul Cox, Keino and the IL Legacy) have shown that the above is not impossible. It is also worth noting Exile Cycle – brutally tough bikes (albeit not always exceptionally legal) that you can ride ‘lika ape’ and not be presented with a contraption that automatically takes itself apart.

mad fab skills butttttt……not my cup of tea. Excellent fab skills but the design is a mash up.
And as others have pointed out it’s just another trailer queen. Every single bike we built at AEE Choppers was ridden and quite often……

Cyril,you should go over to Japan and check out the built and rider scene over there.The guys build cool SR400’s and W650’s and actually ride them.Jap shops like Bratstyle,Flakes and Berry Bads put 90% of whiteman custom bikes in the shade.

Of the 20 bikes there this is the one I pegged as the winner, but it was the best of a bad lot. In the past Artistry in Iron included bikes that would take my breath away, and I could never get enough pics or ask enough questions. This year there was nothing to stir my soul, and it was kind of disappointing.

Zipper it’s called “Artistry” in iron, not ability to ride in iron. There is plenty of room for daily riders and show bikes to coexist without someone getting flipped off every time a radical design is posted by Cyril.

MDSPHOTO Artistry it is. A rider not. Some like to ride and some like to look. Wrought iron railings are artistry in iron too. Is this an art site or a motorcycle site? Like I said before I appreciate the craftsmanship of all the builders and never get flipped off. ( kick me, beat me, kill me. just don’t bore me.”) Clint Eastwood ..Z

“I would suggest that it is time for the industry to start formalising itself ” – Sigfreed, I respectfully disagree. What one could extrapolate from standardized practices is that within the show aspect of custom motorcycle building, the whole process could and eventually would become so homogenized that the entire enterprise would be for naught. In that aspect, creativity and self-expression pays a very heavy toll.
Remember back a few years ago when every bike in a show was Softtail-based? Short of a Triumph, every other bike was pushed over into a corner?
It’s all good to me but, I’d prefer to compete without knowing that every nut and bolt has to be TuV approved, or that all my brake fittings, front and rear, have to be from the same manufacturer, et al…. or that I will be bested by another that bought a package deal the same color zip ties…..
Homogenization is the ruin of the world as we know it. Later Jay

Jay Horton’s Private Shop,basically your suggestion is a reductio ad absurdum of SIG’s comments and a very weak and feeble line of logic.The current crop of “pro builder”show bikes are as homogenized as it gets,all:”mega-buck, unridden and unusable”.Indian Larry,Jesse Rooke and RSD actually build the bike,put a plate on it,and ride it.Fussy chi-chi chunks are merely ornaments,and barely even a motorcycle.

End of the day everyone is entitled to an opinion. We welcome the negative along with the positive. Lot of heart and soul goes into these bikes after long sleepless hours through the night. Though other bikes might not be something RKB would build stylistically, he knows full well and appreciates the amount of time, effort and passion it takes to build a bike that can meet all your personal expectations.

I mean no disrespect, but people say things as if they watch on a day to day basis what goes on in the personal lives of some of these builders……..some dudes we’ve never met informed us via cyril huze that the bike is basically a useless pos lol. Broadening your horizons a bit can introduce you to some great people and create some cool friendships. I know it has for us. Thanks everyone for the input. If you are one that cannot appreciate the bike I don’t know what else to say other than come see us at the next show……..maybe we can change your mind. Everyone is as approachable as can be and welcomes your questions/concerns.

Special thanks to the guys that understand and helped make it possible to walk home with the award. You guys all worked hard and brought your A game and it showed. It was a humbling experience.

I never have a problem with a person who dislike the styling of a bike. Thatd what custom is all about custon built to fit what you think is ideal. But when people go out and make claims like its not ridable I got to call that out. This looks to be a very ridable motorcyle, yes a bagger it isn’t but looks like a lot of fun to hotrod around on. Looks like a very simple bike with well thought out and creative ways to connect the dots. Great bike and a well deserved win congrats RKB